Do you remember these 2020 TikTok trends?

Posted on April 4, 2021 by Vanessa Hidalgo

How many do you remember?

Coffee addicts, assemble!

I was one of the spaced-out ones who actually didn’t end up doing this trend, solely because I was quarantine lazy. The whipped coffee trend originally came from South Korea. When this stunning whipped coffee made its way to North America, it quickly gained attention. With quarantine going full throttle and going kooky from staying inside, this coffee delicacy had a grasp on everyone in March.

Told em F*** 12, F*** Swat

2020 was a big year for rapper Roddy Ricch thanks to his song, The Box which tik tok played and played again. The song which is off of his debut album, Please excuse me for being antisocial, which is the longest running debut #1 rap album to be on the Billboard top 200 in nearly, 2 decades since 50 Cent’s, Get Rich or Die Tryin’ from 2005. The song which went viral on TikTok with over 1.5 Million views on the songs cue, was famous for its distinct cleaning the window sound effect. The song stayed strong at number 1, where artists like Justin Bieber were begging fans to stream his song, so he could go #1.

Brand new whip just hopped in!

The guy nobody taught was white even though he put his face on every single one of his music covers, Whats poppin’! TikTok trends have given artists that extra boost in streams and in marketing that they needed. Jack Harlow’s fan base has since then, grown so much with the mainstream popularity that this song received. The song peaked at #2 on the hot 100, probably only 2 because of the box by Roddy Ricch. Again, with conversational and punchline lyrics, tiktok loved it and it was the only song you would hear for days and days.

It’s corona time right now!

March 2020 is surreal to think of now, the fighting over toilet paper, empty shelves and crazy apocalypse shoppers. This certain audio on TikTok really takes the cake on songs that held a grasp on my brain, as I could not get it out of my head, for weeks. Thank you, society, for its time in technology, as if it were not for cellphones, the stuff we saw last year, we probably wouldn’t believe it if we heard it from somebody today. This song was the ultimate “covid19” song if there even is one, maybe one day it would get something equivalent.

Why don’t you say so!

Yes! If you didn’t love this song, you were not living your full quarantine life! When I think of those notable songs from last year, this one, is the first to come to mind. Sung by the ever so beautiful and talented Doja Cat who has since being discovered more, quickly rose to fame. Say so gained immense popularity after a TikToker, Haley Sharpe, went viral after creating a dance for it. In the official music video for the song Doja Cat actually includes the viral tiktok dance. Songs yes, do get overplayed and irritable over time, but this one stays close to home, as it makes me feel like March 2020 was yesterday and today is but a dream.

Classy, Boujee, Ratchet!

She’s the #1 Hot Girl and everyone’s favourite brand-new rapper, Megan thee Stallion has proven she’s more than just a pretty face. The song which received outstanding positive acclaim for the peccable chemistry between Megan and Beyoncé, no doubt why it’s on the list. Like many others you have just read, yes, tik tok made another viral dance for millennials to struggle with and make corny jokes about.

God save the cranberry juice!

Who doesn’t love a good Fleetwood Mac throwback in a time of chaos? Although this trend didn’t exactly happen in the time of March last year, I can’t help but not include it because it was, that iconic. TikTok user @420doggface208 whose name is actually Nathan, not only made the trend and song even more famous, but also somehow saved the Oceanspray cranberry juice sales that year. As simple as the video was it was all that was needed to rise to viral fame, a good vibe. A trend this strong of course, had to also get Mick Fleetwood himself on TikTok.

And it went like…

Reminiscing on the past good times or a plan that oh so abruptly landed in dog shit, this trend was made for you. The song itself is called Moon and is by Kid Francescoli, however sadly, no one paid this artists music no mind, just the trend. Eventually one would find this certain part of the song absolutely irritating. These throwback Thursday types of trends, are what really kept the platform wholesome, and enjoyable during quarantine times.

Bittersweet Euphoria

This famous HBO show was the biggest talk last year and still is. The show follows the lives of teens in Highschool experiencing all of the sins life has to offer. Euphoria received lots of praise due to its cinematography and memorable makeup and wardrobe moments on the actors. TikTok of course, loved this series and also loved Zendaya being the main lead. It brought many viral trends to tik tok mostly being makeup transformations inspired by Euphoria. One of the most known being the makeup videos to the song that goes, stranger still don’t know your name, you’ve probably heard it at least once.

Stupid boy think that I need him

Like many of the others, there are still more songs that were trending this time last year. This rapper otherwise known as, Ashnikko, brought many new viral trends because of her relatable lyrics. Her lyrics are quite captivating, as they are not your daily church Sunday words. Because of TikTok the song went up on the charts and peaked at #2, on the Billboards bubbling under hot 100. Since her lyrics are so comical at times and weird, the jokes were flying and they were as funny as they could get.

Vancouver’s Dark anti-Asian History

Posted on March 31, 2021 by Vanessa Hidalgo

With the recent attacks on Asian people not only in Canada, but also in the United states, I wanted to give some insight on their history in Vancouver. It is crazy to me that during all these hates crimes happening, one of the first things anyone mentions is, if you in some way benefit or enjoy parts of Asian culture you should support the movement. It is kind of unnerving to me that people would not support movements against hate crimes, regardless of whether they have a connection to it somehow. To me, this shows how careless people can be to a cause, if they aren’t directly connected or affected by it in some way. Of course, there is nothing wrong with the people making these posts, it’s the fact that you almost have to guilt someone into giving it the time of day, in which I think, they should be doing it already.

There are many great things Vancouver has benefitted, from Asian – Canadians, and more appreciation should be given to the culture and people.

People should not forget that in the past there were many riots that happened towards, Chinese and Japanese people, in Vancouver. The anti-Asian riots happened over two days back in, September 7 – 9, 1907. At the time, similar anti-Asian riots were happening in San Francisco, Bellingham and other cities along the West Coast in the United States. These riots were a part of what is referred to as, The Pacific Coast Race Riots of 1907. These were caused by white supremacists, who were opposed to the immigration laws in which resulted in many Asian immigrants coming to Vancouver.

Doesn’t history just love to repeat itself.

In the late 19 and early 20^th centuries, many Asian immigrants were moving to America and Canada, because of the number of citizens, many of those on the pacific coast grew economic fears and racist attitudes. Because it was seen that immigrants were “cheap labour”, many jobs were accused of firing white people because they would pay immigrants less (just accusations no actual evidence behind this). By the 1880s more than 100,00 Chinese citizens were employed, shortly after many Japanese immigrants arrived, eventually making it the number of those employed the same.

Because white people felt as though “their jobs were being taken”, this caused the riots that broke out on September 7^th, because of their growing hate and racism towards Asian immigrants. The white supremist who referred to themselves as the, Asiatic Exclusion League, because their riots with a band in order to draw attention in. They called it a parade, the parade would go to Vancouver city hall at Hastings and Man, then Chinatown, where a rally would be held to address the “issues” (these were not issues yall just racist) on Asian immigration.

About 10,000 racist Canadians and Americans attended the march that resulted in a mob in the Chinese, and Japanese neighborhoods. The riot started with speakers discussing the riots in Bellingham, and some kid threw a rock through a glass window and boom it all went to shit. The caused chaos, and the crowd turned into a rioting mob. They threw bottles and rocks at all windows, destroying Chinese owned stores and homes. After this, they moved on over to Japantown attempting to do the same, but Japanese residents did not hold back and pushed the mob away. The Vancouver riot that started on the seventh, did not end until the next day at 3am in the morning.

For those who may not be aware Japantown, is the old neighborhood by Powell street that connects to Chinatown. It was a very distinct area home to many restaurants and the Asahi baseball league. During the time of WWll many Japanese Canadians were forced into concentration camps and had their properties confiscated. Along Powell there are only two buildings left from that time, being, The Japanese Methodist church and The Vancouver Japanese Language School and Japanese Hall.

The aftermath resulted in bans on immigration for Japanese people and was titled, the gentlemen’s agreement. Labour Minister, MacKenzie King was to write a royal commission into the evented, he also recompensed the damage with $36,000 to the injured communities.

Because of the riots, it was quickly followed with a strike of Vancouver’s Asian workers, this included the cities timber industry, hotels and private homes, who suffered from withdrawals of the workers as well.

Canada’s got quite the history, and that goes for any country.

Even though there are not any white supremist marching down the streets in Vancouver right now, its bizarre seeing history repeat itself in just, different ways. The same narrative about immigrants stealing the white man’s jobs is still being said.

Even after a hundred years of these racist riots, the tension still remained in Vancouver and in North America.

You compare the two, it is the same racism just in different years. I got to say, the past few years since you know who got in power, it drives insane at the thought that this man gave crack to an addict. You already had these racist under their white veils in the shadows and this man just encouraged them to come out, they just needed a little push in their racism.

The pandemic only made it worse, with the racist references on calling Covid “The Chinese Virus” which, is just so unreal to even hear people actually refer to it as that. The mistreatment that Asian people have been going through before and now because of covid-19, it should not even be happening.

It is always so ironic to me how racists are on such a high horse (I mean it IS the white privilege) when those Europeans settled in lands, they were so disgusting because they didn’t even shower or bathe themselves, so the people on the land literally had to show them.

Anti-Asian hate has been happening forever, just like any racism we have to this day. So, again, you should be getting educated and seeing how you could support anyone who is struggling. If you see anything you should always, say something.

Rock’s top songs ten years ago

Posted on March 28, 2021 by Vanessa Hidalgo

Can you believe it was just, 2011 ten years ago..that does not feel real.

Rope by The Foo Fighters

The seventh track off of their studio album Wasting Light, released way back in 2011. The song took heavy inspiration from legendary groups like Lez Zepplin and Rush. Rope was also remixed by the famous DeadMau5, they even performed the remix live at the 54^th Annual Grammy’s. The song received well reviews and was nominated for a teen choice back in 2011, for the best rock song. Rope was the second song in history to debut atop the Rock charts following the release of, The Catalyst by Linkin Park.

Shake me Down by Cage the Elephant

The first single and fourth track off of Thank you, Happy Birthday; when the music video released it gained even more attention. The song earned a nomination for Best Rock Video at the 2011 MTV Music awards. Shake me Down proved to be one of the groups most successful singles, upon release and spent 6 weeks in the top 100. The band always has memorable songs and is still loved to this day.

Walk by The Foo Fighters

Yes, another foo boys’ song and also released off of the album, Wasting Light. Walk gave the band their third top song that year and even dethroned their previous hit, Rope. In 2012 the song won 2 awards at the 54^th Grammy awards and; the song name was actually inspired by Dave Ghrols’ daughter, who was starting to learn how to walk at the time.

Pumped up Kicks by Foster the People

This is probably the only Foster the People song that I know of and I feel many people know of. I don’t even have to explain this one because it comes with its, notoriety already. It was first posted as a free download online in 2010 and started to gain attention later on. Famous for its music video and meaning of the song, will always forever stay as a classic.

Country Song by Seether

Country song is by the south African rock bank Seether, released on March 8^th, 2011, Country Song was the lead single from their fifth studio album, Holding onto Strings Better Left to Fray. The song peaked at second place on the Billboard rock songs chart and peaked at #53 in Canadas’s billboard rock charts. Contrary to the name, the group knows it is not a country song at all and more on the rock side of things; they recorded it in Nashville, so they felt as though, it was the right name.

The Cave by Mumford & Suns

The third single from their debut album Sigh no more, released by the oh so famous London rock bad. The song first entered the Australian music charts peaking at #31, making the song their second single to peak on the Australian charts. The song received 30 nominations in 2011 and the following year in which included, 4 Grammy nominations. The song made a huge reference to Plato’s Allegory of the Cave in which the Greek Philosopher argued that the invisible world, is the most intelligible and that the visual world, is the least knowable

The Adventures of Raindance Maggie by The Red Hot Chili Peppers

Although not actually being a bunch of red-hot chili peppers, the group did bring a lot of heat to the charts around this time. The Adventures of Rain Dance Maggie is off of the groups tenth album, I’m With You. This single became the bands record holding 12^th number-one single on, the Billboard alternative songs charts. The song was critically acclaimed and was loved by many as being a different type of rock sound for the times, it was in.

Tighten Up by The Black Keys

A four of five-star song according to The Rolling Stone, Tighten up is the third track off their 2010 album, Brothers. The song became one of the most successful singles from The Black Keys, in the United States. The single got early success with its radio play on rock stations, hitting number one on both the Alternative songs chart and the Rock songs chart, in which it spent 10-12 weeks on, both charts.

Help Is on The Way by Rise Against

A song by the American rock band, Rise Against, featured on their sixth studio album, Endgame. While it received lots of praise for its lyricism about the slow response time for aid to stricken areas, it received criticism for its repetitive sound that you’ve heard all before. Despite the mixed reviews it remained one of the bands highest charting songs yet. The single peaked at #89 on the Hot 100 and reached number two on the Hot Rock Songs chart.

Waiting for The End by Linkin Park

A song from a band that rock knows best. This was the second single and eighth track from their fourth studio album, A Thousand Suns. Of course, the people were going to love this song I mean, who doesn’t enjoy a good Linkin Park song? but it still got its fair share of critics attached to it. The song reached #96 on the US Billboard Hot 100 upon the release of the album and after spending 15 weeks on the alternative songs chart, it replaced Tighten Up by The Black Keys at number 1, giving Linkin Park their 10^th number one song. Although the song did perform way less on the charts compared to, The Catalyst, it was the most successful single in the United States from the album.

Time to get ready for Summer! Again!

Posted on March 27, 2021 by Vanessa Hidalgo

Spring is here and you know what that means! Summer is right around the corner and I can’t wait to eat ice cream on hot summer days although, still during a pandemic. I know we all may feel very burnt out and itching for an ounce of freedom so, here are things to do, to get in the mood.

I scream, you scream, we all scream for Ice Cream!

What says summer best than enjoying the greatest frozen treat ever, even if you can’t have dairy. An awesome way to get into the summer spirit is enjoying the ice cream around Vancouver. You can visit the famous 100 flavours at the pinkity – pink gelato shop or take it on the hipster side trying the gem of, Earnest Ice cream. My personal favourite that reminds me of summer every time is, taking a drive down to Marble Slab near English Bay, you can get an ice cream and then walk down to the beach to enjoy it.

Work, Work, Work, Work

I know we all want our summer bods ready, but with quarantine it’s been a bit difficult. The sudden motivation to get in shape and then boom ,now you’re on your coach watching Netflix for eight hours. TikTok again has shown me so many new things and videos. Over last march youtuber Chloe Ting was very popular because her workout videos because they make you want to die, trust me. That being said, it is a great way to get your summer bod ready even if we may not be allowed in the streets causing, summer mayhem.

Happy Happy Happy Hour!!

Summer drinks and delicious cocktails are always the answer to anything. Many Vancouver restaurants are offering happy hours daily and staying safe, following Covid protocols. You can visit La Mezclaleria right on Commercial drive or head down to downtown van. They’ve got some amazing Mexican cocktails and tacos that’ll fill your tummy. There are endless happy hours to find in Vancouver so, take a walk in the city and find something new to try.

Jamming and Rockin’

Nothing screams summer fun like listening to your best tunes to get in the mood. If you’re ever feeling down the best way to get your mood up, in my opinion; is rocking out to some Paramore. There is lots of summer jams out there that you can enjoy, if you don’t know what to listen, check out Spotify’s playlists because they are always on point. My album of the year last year was definitely, After Hours. The album is full of hits without a single skip, all of the songs will make you wanna move.

Get in loser we’re going shopping!

This is always fun if you have the extra money to spend and if don’t, window shopping helps just as much. Looking for some fun summer clothes, full of vivid colours, is my personal therapy. Shopping for those perfect pair of denim jean shorts will either piss you off or get you even more excited for Vancouver’s, dirty beaches. Thrifting seems to be the hype right now, it is the best way to find the most unique pieces while still, savin’ a buck of yer moneyt. Vancouver is full of little vintage shops that are waiting for your credit card.

Sit back, Relax and disconnect

You’ve heard it a hundred times already but, get your meditation on. If you want to be able to have a great summer and enjoy the sunshine and screaming kids around you; ya got to feel positive all around. I like to always listen to my favourite album before bed and forget I exist and do some quick “yoga poses”. Stretching and taking time to take of your body in so important for you and your well-being. It is hard to know where to start and get on your Zen track but, YouTube is always the best tool, to turn to. There are lots of tutorials to search from or playlists on Spotify to listen to. So, make sure you relax before summer hits, just so you’re ready.

M-M-M-MARATHON!

Forget all the other crap I listed if you’re going to chill, this is the perfect way. When you get to your 20s during a pandemic, we are all now having our existential crisis, for sure. The sad thing we forget about ia, enjoying life and things we used to love before. The best way to enjoy and feel like you’re a kid again is sitting down and watching marathon. My personal suggestions were to watch all of the JAW movies, you will feel the summer fear right away.

Take a trip down the rabbit hole

We all loved the trippy tale of a girl, basically off of a bad acid trip, I mean come on, it was drugs. Forget the boring brunch, patio lunches and cocktail happy hours, what you need is a sip of tea. Neverland tea in Kitsilano is one of the best places for high tea experience in Vancouver. They’ve extended their mad hatter tea experience a little longer and it looks, dare I say mad? Worth checking out, as it is really a unique experience right here in Vancouver.

Sakura everywhere!

I know this is a spring tradition, but cherry blossoms can cheer anybody up. Neighborhoods all around Vancouver are starting to get filled, with the cute pink little flowers. This isn’t exactly a “summer tradition”, but it is a way to tell us, what is coming next. Instagram is flooding with pictures being taken, you don’t want to be late to this party. My two go to places to see the flowers is up, at West 22^nd avenue and Burrard Station. So, go on and snap a pic! Maybe you’ll make it on a Daily hive Instagram page while you’re at it too.

What to watch on Netflix this weekend

Posted on March 26, 2021 by Vanessa Hidalgo

Bored this weekend? why not try watching something off of this list.

7 Sisters

I first watched this movie back when it released in 2017 and since then it has grown very popular on TikTok’s, movie recommendations. The movie is set in a dystopian future where each couple can only have one child. Like the name states they are all 7 sisters, and each sister is named after a day in the week; and on the day of their name, they can go outside but, only on that day. Without spoiling too much, complications happen resulting in one of the sisters going missing. It is a refreshing movie to watch and will definitely have you on the edge of your seat.

Casa de Papel (Money Heist)

One of the biggest shows on Netflix and if you haven’t seen it, what are you doing? This series has a huge following and was very popular during Halloween with, all the costumes taken from the series. The journey in which the story starts really grabs you in as a viewer, and you will learn the whole plan for the heist. The series is just so good but it does take a little for it to start picking up, but once it does, you will not be able to stop watching. Although the characters are criminals, you really forget that they are throughout the show, because you start to feel remorseful for them.

Good Girls

When I came across this series I immediately started binging it and couldn’t stop watching. The show follows 3 moms, 2 in which are sisters who are all, in a desperate of money. The story begins when they all made the mistake of robbing the wrong persons money. Eventually they get confronted by a gang member and this is where it starts to get hilarious. You now have 3 suburban raised women, doing work for hard gang members, it is without a doubt it’s going to get messy. It is an extremely comical series that you have definitely not seen before.

Sinner

If you like murder, criminal and detective type series, you’re going to love Sinner. Instead of being a series in which follows a detective and all crimes, it is done a bit differently. In each season Detective Harry is faced with a different complex investigation, each time. When a crime scene is too suspicious and an investigation is too hard to pin on a suspect, our main character Harry is called. It is unlike any crime and murder series on Netflix as Harrys dark past, is also made to light in which helps him, solve these crimes.

Van Helsing

I have never really been into the whole scary zombie or vampire killer series, but Vanessa VanHelsing is a badass to watch. Without again spoiling too much, she comes from a family of Vampire killers although also being a Vampire herself. The series is based in a dystopian future where Vampires rule the earth and all of humanity was wiped out and many are trying to survive. I love this series because she’s a strong female lean and it’s tough to come by well written characters, who are women.

Altered Carbon

Forget about the matrix, Altered Carbon really messes with your thoughts on the future and reality. The future in which you can live as long as you want, as long as your mind chip, doesn’t get destroyed. In this future you can have any body you ever wanted, even customizing your body or picking a body from a line of noted soldiers or fighters. I found that the concept of the show was really neat as it made it seem that humans, were just technology. It opens up with Takashi, our main character, who wakes up after hundreds of years not in his original body. Confused as to where his body is, he embarks on a mission to find out what happened to him, while also investigating a murder. It is a great sci-fi story to follow, I usually hate the sci-fi genre, but I couldn’t stop watching Altered Carbon.

Hannibal

Okay yes, I am very late on this show but once I did start watching it, oh my god? First of all, it is unlike any detective series I have ever seen. The main character who’s our notable FBI agent but also technically not an FBI agent, Will; has a perplex way of reliving crime scenes in order to find who committed thus crime. Also, from all the murder series I have ever watched, this was the goriest one and it will definitely make you turn your head from the screen. As a viewer who knows everything going on, it is so frustrating to see Will go through wrongful convictions knowing, who the real killer is. Hannibal Lecter is an extremely calculated man and so psychotic, there is never a dull moment in the series, you will always feel uneasy.

Lupin

This series is still fairly new and only has one season consisting of five episodes but because it was a hit when it came out, there will be more to come. The story is based off of a character Arséne Lupin who is an extreme gentlemen and master of disguise; and was actually written in 1905 by Maurice Leblanc. Our main character read this book given to him and started to master disguising himself and being an extreme gentleman. He has committed a number of robberies but hasn’t gotten caught due, to how clever he is. It’s a very enjoyable thriller series with a dash of comedy in the mix, you will be rooting for Assane aka Lupin.

Teach Boys, Not Girls

Posted on March 24, 2021 by Vanessa Hidalgo

Men are weaker than women and you can’t tell me otherwise.

Lately on social media there has been a rise of women spreading word on recent assaults targeting women, missing women and women who have also been found dead. The Vancouver Police Department have spoken out on the claims made on social media and stated that are no actual threats as of this time.

The controversy around this is, if so many women are speaking out and voicing their experiences why isn’t there as much media attention around this, because it’s coming from outlets like tik tok?

You don’t realize until you’re older how many creepy and disgusting interactions you have had with men. It’s insane to hear that 97% of women have been victims to sexual assault, grooming, verbal abuse and more disgusting things. Growing up as a woman in the world you are taught from a very young age to not wear revealing clothing, never take a drink from someone and to not leave your drink unattended.

It is nauseating to hear so many stories of how women who are treated as objects and characters that men seek to get a reaction out of. My mom would tell me stories in school of how boys would put gum on the seats so when girls in skirts sat down and got up, they could look at their ass. How is that okay? Because she’s a woman and is nothing but an object in the eyes of men.

Fortunately, now the way that women get sexually harassed is much different.

The media has done a great deal of making the woman the sexual fantasy.

In Entertainment, these girls and women are “celebrities” it is as if reporters, interviewers and audiences see them as something they can poke in however way they want. It is so crazy to know these singers and actresses who were being photographed in very little clothing and suggestive poses at young ages like 16, pretty sure there’s a name for that. Britney Spears who was famous for her “provocativeness”, it’s disgusting to come to realize she was 16 when her start in music started and so many grown men fantasized about her. So much in the media and behind the scenes has gone unregulated for way too long.

The portrayal of the woman on screen and in society is what is negatively impacting those girls who walk alone in street. While yes you can argue it is extreme to say this you can’t help but not acknowledge the reality. When women are portrayed in films rejecting men, it is never taken simply. The women are seen as “b#tches” and males in the film always comfort each other because she said, no, why?

The way that comedians use women as their punchline joke because they reject them or made them feel ridiculed is disgusting, why are they so fragile?

Society raises these girls in fear, they grow up knowing the worst thing that could ever happen to them is being sexually assaulted. It is continuously taught girls should not wear revealing clothing, not to be too flirty because that’s “consent”, guard their drinks etc. In schools there is still dress code enforced, but only for girls because they may distract the male teachers. How about not hiring a bunch of pedophiles to teach kids?

It is such a backwards concept to always put the woman at fault, instead of the man who will continuously do the wrong.

Recently in Downtown Vancouver you probably saw the video of the woman being followed for over 40 minutes. This is probably every women’s fear, to be followed by a man without knowing their intention. You would think with such a scary situation there would not be any criticism on the woman involved but no, shockingly she got some unneeded opinions. There were men criticizing her on the fact that the guy didn’t actually approach her, and she is “seeking attention” from social media. It is so shocking to hear how a situation that could’ve escalated and be kind of traumatic, would be categorized as her seeking attention.

This is the problem in the world, that when girls actually come out with their stories, they are told they “just want clout”, how is trauma clout? Why is it so hard for men to understand how terrifying it is to walk alone or go anywhere as a woman.

Upon release of her video some were saying oh “Maybe he was having a bad day”. What does a bad day have to do with her, being followed for over 40 minutes and probably assumed the worst of the situation and was mentally preparing herself for it.

I hate how much the world continuously condones this behaviour and cradles men in their arms while women face so much backlash even though their safety is at risk.

It almost seems as if decent human morals and empathy lack in those who call these situations “seeking attention”. Women are so afraid to reject a man that they have to lie in order to get them to leave. How is that allowed? A man can’t take a simple no and move on? Must the woman be always painted as a “b*tch”.

It’s crazy to think some were trying to belittle the situation when for the woman involved, she’ll probably look behind her whenever she walks now.

So raise boys right teach them how to respect girls and how they are not objects to play with.

Is society sensitive, or are you just mad?

Posted on March 22, 2021 by Vanessa Hidalgo

Society may be becoming sensitive to you, but this is why it isn’t.

Growing up in an Immigrant Latino household there were many things that I learned and was aware of, from a young age. As a child, I saw my parents as anyone else and I did not believe that they were different in any way, but they were. My mother who speaks fairly good English in my opinion, is subjected by those who speak better English, to be mocked because of, her accent. My father who speaks very little English and finds it hard to understand other English speakers is always treated unfairly by people in, society.

To me my mom spoke perfect English and I didn’t understand why in her jobs she was treated as if she knew nothing. One day I remember when I was speaking to my friend when I was younger, she mentioned my mom had a “strong accent” I was confused because I didn’t understand what she meant, so I said no my mom doesn’t have an accent and she continued saying yes, she does her English isn’t good.

This comment has stuck with me, I know we were both children and didn’t know any better compared to adults, but those minority aggressive comments start from such a young age.

When I started getting older and understanding media and television is where I started to learn about, racism. The way that the media was showing racism wasn’t in an educating way it was in a way of entertainment, to have others laugh at minority problems. The show that really did it for me was probably The Simpsons. Even if you’re a child it doesn’t take much of a brain to make the connections of the show to modern world. The Simpsons really did depict races in the most stereotypical was they ever could.

Because these jokes and television series are made in non-harmful comedic ways they are not seen as “racism” per say, and if you do see it in that light you are “sensitive”. I really started to understand the negatives of this when I would visit my dad’s side of the family in Guatemala. I saw firsthand how hard people worked and how they lived and what they did in order to make a living.

In grades 6 and 7 kids are kids and would crack those racially insensitive jokes, how all Latinos are housemaids, undocumented, border jumpers and so on. In school I remember being told to go “sell my oranges” now I understand these are kids being annoying, but when I would explain to them how this is harmful and kind of racist, they didn’t understand. Then although being born here I did get called a “border jumper”. I did recently mention the orange jokes to the kids I grew up with and looking back at it know they were so embarrassed, and it was a little funny to think back on. But not everyone is going to be so forgiving about these comments because they do affect how you as a minority perceive yourself.

So, who is sensitive?

I have personally, heard those calling gen z as being “sensitive” coming mostly from millennials and the way older crowd like boomers. Some of the sensitive comments also come a lot from people who make these insensitive jokes and get called out for it. So, the trend of calling everything sensitive is coming from lots of people why is that?

Not to sound like your typical blogger, but it is because the media and we as viewers normalized this. People preach for change and a better society but pick and choose for what they want changed.

But even though we believe we are becoming more sensitive, when you’re out in the world as a minority society will not act sensitive against you in any way. People will not try to hide their racism, discrimination, or misogyny against you in any way.

Lots of anger has come out of recent situations with people losing their jobs and not being able to get hired because of what they have said publicly. While the aspect of cancel culture is a whole different topic, there is always consequences to actions that you take, you literally learn this when you’re 7. Adults don’t like being told no at all just like a toddler so now you have a bunch of big babies crying because they got in trouble and they don’t like the idea of not being able to say whatever they want.

I feel like if these people were on the side of the receiving end of these comments, they would change the energy and views they had. This will always go back to the privilege people have and the oppression that people of colour experience.

Lots of people make these jokes without thinking about the origin of where they come from and stay uneducated. A lot of racial jokes come from very close-minded ways racist people viewed those minorities as and it isn’t ok.

Why should it be so wrong to have a society and live in a world where people are treated properly and respectfully?

Racial jokes only feed into the narrative in which you see these people as, it is also harmful to you as a person of colour because it changes the way you see yourself. The jokes are a part of the racial aggressions that Indigenous, Black and People of Colour experience.

There is not only an issue with the racial jokes being said but also misogynistic jokes that are made about women. How men will use women as props in their videos to harass them because she is a woman. Because of all these jokes as a woman when will you also ever feel safe in the world without the fear of a man harassing for the sake of his enjoyment and needs.

In conclusion, no I don’t think society is becoming so sensitive that you can’t make a racist joke; society is progressing into being more educated and moving away from that old timer mindset. I think people need to expand what they know and change their 60s mindset on society.

Spring break? Here we go again..

Posted on March 12, 2021 by Vanessa Hidalgo

Covid has proven to me that time is not real as I have been staring at the same 4 walls for 365 days.

Welcome back to the same way you were living last year pal, no Mexico trip, no Disneyland and no getting drunk in the piss alleys of downtown Vancouver. In honour of spending another spring break locked inside, I thought why not pile a list of fun things one could do. Some are legit others are in fun spirit but nonetheless, you can grab an idea so you can venture off into the hipster streets.

No mask? Shot shot shot shots, everybody! (over the age of 19)

Here I bring to you a fun drinking game you could play in your house or out in the streets. Think of it as finding Waldo but finding anti-maskers out in the streets. You can play this game any way, either driving or walking outside taking tally of how many you spot or play it in real time (a social distanced space) where you can take shots while watching. Another way you can play this even more safely is by, taping a mask onto your TV screen and taking a shot whenever it fits perfectly with one of the actors faces.

Bella where have you been loca??

What could be more fun than watching a love story between a teenage girl and a who knows how old vampire? Nothing! Twilight has recently grown extremal popular thanks again to, TikTok. The movies aren’t really that bad if you get past a number of things and plot holes. Watching all the Twilight movies would be very fun to enjoy if you’re just making fun of the movie the whole time, I swear you’ll have a good laugh.

Where are the bike lanes dammit?

Take a risk on the wild side of things and ride in Vancouver’s extravagant bike lanes, the thought of riding in bike lanes in downtown alone give me an adrenaline rush. Get your workout in and put away the seasonal depression and enjoy the sun that doesn’t go away at 4 in the afternoon. You can bike around do some shopping or bike the Stanley park sea wall which is a beautiful bike ride.

Kira Kira! Cherry Blossoms!

Returning again for spring one of the prettiest things Vancouver has got to offer besides pissed back alleys. The cherry blossoms will be all over the Metro Vancouver area. Whether you’re going with your significant other or some friends, just don’t forget your camera and wear your best fit because you will want to take some pictures for Insta.

What do you mean a Flea runs this market?

Recently thrifting has become the best way to find the most unique pieces and raggedy clothing. It’s funny to see how low-income activities have now become, no longer low-income activities but all class activities. One of the best places to find weird sh*t or my personal favourite cool rings is, The Vancouver Flea Market. As unappealing as the name sounds it’s a great place to find random crap to feed your shopping addiction. Only downside is that they are only open on weekends and holidays so if you work, that’s a bust for you champ.

Uno! Dos! Très! Quatro! Birria Tacos Señor!

Once again, TikTok is holding a shackle on everyone’s life decisions and interests. Recently the app discovered Birria Tacos and it have become the latest craze and of course Vancouver taco shops had to scramble to add them to the menu. As someone who comes from this background, I was shocked I had never heard of Birria Tacos, but then again Vancouver lacks these authentic foods sadly. I’ve seen many places do their take on these tacos, some look weird and gentrified and some look delicious. Lucky for you Las Tortas Shop on Cambie st, has got the best ones and they’re very authentic. So, don’t fall behind trend and get those tacos!

Every B.C kid’s favourite field trip

If you miss the days where all you worried about was, what you were going to buy at the science world gift shop, guess what? You can once again relive that feeling. Science world has confirmed it will reopen for spring break and it will be open daily. Yes, I know, this will probably be filled with snotty kids, but it is still something fun anyone can enjoy, if you try to. And at this point you need to keep the bar low with finding activities to do in Vancouver.

Time to channel your inner model

Wanna know where all Vancouver baddies are taking their best pictures for social media? It’s at the Moon and Back Gallery in Richmond. The gallery has grown increasingly popular with the pandemic, probably because there isn’t really anything else you can do. It is a little expensive if you want to keep activities under $20, but you’ll have the best pictures for the rest of the year so, isn’t it worth it?

Cringe fest!

Thank god to Vancouver’s famous filming locations you may occasionally run into famous actors like on Riverdale. We all know the running joke that the show is awful and painful to watch. The great thing about horrible things is you can always make a game out of it and have fun with friends. The show has so many moments of cringe so why not take a shot every time you cringe and blackout for the rest of spring break! Not to seem like an alcoholic but when you’re stuck inside what more can you do than get wasted. (19+ of course)

Young Thug’s Influence

Posted on March 11, 2021 by Vanessa Hidalgo

You can’t deny greatness, stop hating on new music.

We’re about to get really controversial in the music world, or are we? When it comes to discussing new rap music and new styles of genres, comes new criticism behind it. In the terms of HipHop and Rap there is always lots of bad reviews and critics in the comments.

Main thing that should be cleared up is that all music evolves and so does the audience that listens to it. Because this genre is all about rhymes and punchlines with deeper meanings when a new artist comes onto the scene, not following the usual sound, heads will be turned.

When Young Thug first came onto the music scene, many older music heads hated him because his lyrics were “garbage” and because of his style of rapping and voice, and now you can’t say sh*t about the dude.

Thug whose real name is Jeffery, was born in Atlanta and grew up in Zone 3, in the Jonesboro South Projects. Many other notable artists grew up with him like Waka Flocka, 2 Chainz, Ludacris and his childhood friend PeeWee Longway.

His start in music began in 2010, when he was featured on TruRoyal’s song She Can Go. Following in 2011 to 2012 he released a three instalment mixtape series called, I Came from Nothing. This mixtape took influence from Lil Wayne’s sound which he later confirmed in an interview, but if you’re any rap fan you would recognize this immediately. In the song Achieve off of the mixtape he actually compares himself to Lil Tunechi,

“If Wayne flow is kush, then my sh*t is on purple
But my flow is sick, it’s dyin’, I need a donor
And I’m so great, when I leave I need a cloner”

This sound which at the time he was still working on, would soon be what made him stick out from other rappers and influence a brand-new sub-genre of music.

This 3-part mixtape got the attention of famous Atlanta-Based rapper Gucci Mane who then went on to sign Young Thug to his label 1017 Brick Squad Records. Shortly after signing he released his fourth project, 1017 Thug. The ground-breaking tape received positive reviews from music critics everywhere. The slurry pill addled rapping gained attention from many rap heads. The album really put him on the map with iconic songs like 2 Cups Stuffed and Picacho. Both songs brought notable lines to repeat like UNO DOS CUPS STUFFED, UNO DOS CUPS STUFFED, like hello so catchy thank you Thug.

The album was recognized by: Pitchfork’s Albums of the Year: Honourable Mention, Complex’s The best 50 Albums of 2013 and the Rolling Stone placed it at number 5 of their best mixtapes of 2013. In July 2013, Complex included him in their list of 25 new rappers to watch and boy were they right.

Thug really started to gain attention when the song Lifestyle by RICHGANG came out who he and Rich Homie Quan featured on. This song really started a lot of jokes online because it is so hard to understand what he says in the song; Nonetheless still gotta love him.

Jumping into 2015 he released Barter 6, which is my favourite Thug tape it was what got me into liking him. The title actually caused beef between him and his influence Lil Wayne as he wanted to name it Carter 6, in order to pay homage to him.

Wayne even told a crowd at one of his shows at the time to “Stop listening to Young Thug.” Thug actually never fully addressed this issue which is crazy because its fricken Lil Wayne? But anyways. Besides the name change, the tape really had none of that same sound that we heard back in 2011 and no Lil Wayne-ish vocals either. The criticisms he faced before was really done for, although he takes an abstract approach into his lyricism you just need to listen closely, to hear the talent.

With the release of Jeffery, he sparked lots of talk online and the self-titled mixtape went viral. The cover for the tape which featured him in a dress was loved by many. He’s been described as being eccentric; he even shopped in the women’s aisle when he was younger. This is also one of the reasons so many people love him because he has no issue with his masculinity, or how he will be perceived. He can be seen in nail polish, skirts and calling him close male friends “hubbie” and “lover.” This itself is huge because, in a genre dominated by very masculine men and homophobic lyrics; he broke those barriers and inspired many on the way. His take on fashion has brought comparisons of David Bowie, Prince and Little Richard, who are all icons.

“In my world, you can be a gangsta with a dress or you can be a gangsta with baggy pants.”

Young Thug, 2016

When you listen to any mainstream rap song today you hear that use of slurry words, lots of ad-libs and distingushed baby voice. In the HipHop fashion world, you see the normalized use of nail polish and gender bending clothing you weren’t seeing before.

Even if you have never listened to Young Thug, you have 9 times out of 10 heard someone who sounds like him. Which is why people always call these new rappers, his sons.

Big artists like Travis Scott, Gunna, Playboi Carti, Lil Uzi, Kanye West, Juice WRLD, Migos and Future were all directly influenced by Thug and recognized him as an influence. Kanye West’s incredible album YEEZUS, was heavily influenced from that Atlanta rap scene and repetitive ad-libs. When Travis Scott first came out, Thug helped him find his sound and now Travis is famous for those memorable “IT’S LIT” ad-libs. Of course, with big artists all labels want to mimic their own to create an even bigger one but, no one has yet surpassed to be named, his twin.

With the rise of SoundCloud around 2016 and mumble rappers, this is arguably influenced by Young Thug. You have these brand-new age rappers like XXXTENTACION, Lil Pump, Trippie Red, UnoTheactivist, Thouxanbanfauni, Playboi Carti and Young Nudy who all kind of sound like him, in one way or another.

Thug now has his very own record label YSL Records where rappers like Gunna, Lil Keed and Lil Duke are signed to. While many sound like him, Thug takes pride in developing all of his artists and mentoring them so they are all in their own lane and as successful as he is.

You can’t deny his influence on his music even if his music isn’t your particular taste. There’s a reason why BBC named him the 21st century’s most influential rapper, because he is.

How Jujutsu Kaisen is Changing Shonen

Posted on March 10, 2021 by Vanessa Hidalgo

Yeah, okay going to geek out for a bit here, if you’re reading this no you didn’t.

Jujutsu Kaisen tells the story of protagonist Yugi Itadori who eats demon fingers. Yeah, that’s pretty much the plot of it all, shocking. His teacher Gojo Satoru is surprised because when he ate a literal demon’s finger, he should have died but surprisingly he is able to control this demon now inside of him. The show will follow Itadori’s journey till he eats all twenty fingers. This demon Sakuna is now a part of Itadori and they switch between personalities, mostly when Itadori is losing a fight so Sakuna has to switch over to control because the guys bleeding to death. The story continues with Itadori now having to attend a school of other sorcerers that work by killing demons on earth and getting rid of them. At this school he meets Megumi and Nobara other classmates who are in his class.

While the show has grown a huge audience especially now being animated the manga is more popular than ever. They’ve probably now sold over the original 30 million copies. The anime however is animated by one of the leading animation studios in Japan right now. The studio is animating not only this but also Attack on Titans’ Final Season (which is insane and extremely popular), and are set to animate more like Chainsaw Man, which is another popular manga.

The studio is growing, and the workers are definitely being worked the bone, although sometimes being criticized for their art style you can’t argue they’ve been killing it at 3D animation. A sole scene in one of the Jujutsu Kaisen’ episode’s cost them the equivalent amount of a whole season of another anime series.

Now onto what I want to discuss today.

The Shonen genre is basically your action anime with a main hero and a villain they must defeat. The plot usually follows the hero going through obstacles they must overcome in order to get stronger and defeat the antagonist. From most amines that I have now binged watched thanks to quarantine. There’s a pattern in storylines involving love interests with the main protagonist, all female characters are weak, the hero complex of man saving women, yea you get it.

The main reason why Jujutsu Kaisen is doing so well in the anime world is a factor to many different reasons; one, female characters actually fight, two, no love interest between the main characters they’re just good pals, and three no extremely sexualized female characters.

This does go way farther into the world of stories because female characters always have to be sexy and f#ckable because that’s what the men audience would want. As a woman, it is always extremely tiring having to watch any action genre involving women because of how much they sexualize the character, there’s always a butt shot for some reason, oh and whenever women fight, they always seem to suffocate who they are fighting with their legs (remember that next time you’re watching any action genre involving women).

In Shonen, it is so tiring seeing the same thing and the women in the show are always just so useless and have to be saved by the man. That being said, there have been great characters in anime like Revy in Black Lagoon, Sakura from Naruto and Yoiruichi from Bleach. Although these characters are strong and can fight on their own, Revy and Yoiruichi are still extremely sexualized, and Sakura was just so annoying to watch, but she still became a strong character. But when it comes to male characters and how they are written, they are always just stronger characters.

I love that there is no love triangle between the 3 main characters, and they are all just friends, one of the main female leads Nobara, fights to kill always. In one of the scenes where Nobara is fighting another character, as she is about to throw the final blow, she screams “What makes us obligated to meet such perfection or such absurd demands? I don’t give a damn about ‘men’ this and ‘women’ that! I love myself when I’m pretty and all dressed up! And I love myself when I’m strong!” Her character is already extremely entertaining to watch and she’s so confident as a woman anyone would love her.

Every woman in the anime has their own perspective on life and all of them fight strong with no mercy.

It is refreshing to see well written characters that are beyond their looks, because if you take the looks away from these characters there really is not much to them. I think what is also so great about these women is that they are all in their own lane. Instead of lusting over men and being saved by them, they’re more than capable of being independent woman.

As we move forward in the world with women’s rights and acknowledging the misogyny in the world and media. It is great that we can have this conversation in the world of film and media about the portrayal of women on screen. Although anime itself is made in the intention of teenage boys who watch it and spend money on merchandise, you can’t deny the teenage girls who grow up watching these shows as well. Audiences who watch literally anything all grow up and start to form a brain, so as a writer you need to discuss these issues in your industry, in order to change them. You can’t keep writing the same forever.

And with that all being said I love the series, it is great to see an action anime where they don’t feel bad for beating the hell out of these demons.

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